


take me to the feeling

by Lord Vitya (ProtoDan)



Category: DC Extended Universe
Genre: A flagrant disregard for proper comma usage, Amusement Parks, First Dates, First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-21 11:24:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15556635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProtoDan/pseuds/Lord%20Vitya
Summary: The sun's shining, Barry can smell terrible, terrible amusement park food from every corner, there are little kids having a total blast all around, some of them lugging around comically huge stuffed animals, and he's caught Victor smiling with his entire mouth five whole times (and counting) in a single afternoon.For once, he wishes things would slow down, just so he could hold on to the day a little longer.OR:Barry takes Victor for a nice day at his favorite amusement park.





	take me to the feeling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [knoxoursavior](https://archiveofourown.org/users/knoxoursavior/gifts).



 This is probably the nicest day the whole state is going to have all summer. The temperature is just about ideal, the sun is high in the sky with barely a cloud in sight, and for once, finally, one of Barry's days off decided to coincide with something resembling free time for Victor. So, after some cajoling, he's taken Victor a quick jaunt south of Central City to Worlds of Fun, so they can have a real day off with some roller coasters.

It is, in short, abso-freakin'-lutely perfect. 

Or, well, it would be if it hadn't been for that incident at the gate, what with the whole "my friend's whole body triggers metal detectors" issue. Which, okay, in hindsight, Barry should have thought of that before they got here, but he was just a bit too thrilled at the concept of spending time together not fighting horrible bug things and a couple details might have slipped past him. And, to be fair, the security officers were really, really chill about it all once they determined that no, that's definitely the Cyborg, he kind of helped save the world, we should probably just let him through. 

So. It's absolutely perfect now. The sun's shining, Barry can smell terrible, terrible amusement park food from every corner, there are little kids having a total blast all around, some of them lugging around comically huge stuffed animals, and he's caught Victor smiling with his entire mouth five whole times (and counting) in a single afternoon. For once, he wishes things would slow down, just so he could hold on to the day a little longer.

"You know, if I'm gonna be honest, I wouldn't have thought this was your kind of scene," Victor says, gesturing to their general surroundings. A little kid stops dead in their tracks to stare up at him before their slightly harried parent shuffles them out of the way. "We've spent at least two hours just standing in lines. Doesn't that drive you nuts?"

Barry shrugs, trying to stop grinning for a couple seconds and finding he just doesn't have it in him. "It's kind of... nostalgic, I guess?" he explains. "When I was a really little kid, me and my family would drive down here in the summer— y'know, get a cheap motel room somewhere in Kansas City, 'cause that car was way too small for three people to just sleep in overnight— and come here the second the place opened. Spend a whole day on the rides, get sunburnt to hell and back. You know, that quintessential amusement park experience."

There's a flicker of that smile again as they step into the line for the Scrambler. It just barely dimples Victor's cheeks and crinkles the corner of his eye oh no. (That's another thing Barry might not have thought through. He was so excited to make Victor have fun for once that he maybe didn't realize he couldn't deal with how much Victor's face lights up when he's actually having a good time.) 

"Point taken," is all Victor says, which is... not enough, somehow. 

Barry's got to make him understand this. It's suddenly really, super important. "And I thought," he says, bouncing from foot to foot, "it might be nice to just share that, you know. With you. I don't think Gotham's actually heard of the word amusement, let alone the concept of amusement parks, and it might be good to have some memories together that aren't on some level kind of super traumatic. Not that I don't like stopping the end of the world with you!" Barry adds, face warming. "But, you know, nearly dying— a lot— it kind of takes the fun bonding part out of the whole experience."

Ah, crap, he's smiling again. More. That's most definitely a dimple, and Barry is not equipped to cope with this. "Thanks," Victor says, putting a hand on Barry's shoulder. 

Barry ducks his head and tries to get a grip on his own uncontrollable grinning, which he can't, because if he could it wouldn't be uncontrollable. "You're having fun, right? This isn't secretly torture and you're just a really good actor?"

Victor presses his lips together in that I'm-trying-so-hard-not-to-laugh face and he nods. "It's been nice getting out of that manor," he says. "As great as it is to see everyone actually getting along and all, being cooped up there isn't a whole lot better than being cooped up at my dad's place after a while. This is actually pretty fun."

Barry beams. He can't help it. "Good. Great, I mean. You should have more fun," he says. "'cause you've earned it, you know? We all have."

"Yeah." Victor squints up ahead, as the line crawls forward. "Come to think of it, how come you didn't bring anybody else along?"

This seems like a good time as any for Barry to get distracted by a nearby bird. Except he swears he can feel Victor staring at him. So. That's not happening, probably. "Arthur's scary, I don't think Mr. Wayne would know what fun was if it bit him, Diana's also... kind of scary, but in a different way, and Clark's too... um, busy," he finishes lamely. 

It's definitely nothing to do with the fact that you're tall and cool and the first time I actually heard you laugh I thought I died for a second. Ha. Ha. Nope. 

Judging by Victor's face, there's no way in hell he bought that. Which is probably for the best, really. It's not like the ideal here is for Barry to just sit on his hands and think about how cool Victor is for days on end while nothing actually happens. Something's gotta move at some point, and statistically speaking, it's gonna be Barry. 

"And, you know, I think you're— oh, look at that," Barry says, gesturing to the open space in front of them. Saved not so much by the bell as by the little turnstile. 

He lets Victor go through first, given that he's a little bulkier in the thigh area. And the— everything area, really, so pushing through it involves some more tricky business than Barry just sort of walking through. The attendant does a really good job of pretending to pretend not to stare, but the effect is still kind of the same. As far as Barry can tell, Victor isn't too bothered by it in the end, but he still feels bad on his behalf, a bit. Awkwardly half-jogging to pretend to need to keep up with Victor's stride, Barry watches with a misplaced anxiety while Victor scans— possibly literally— the available cars.

"Me and my parents," Barry says, definitely not changing the subject or anything, no sir, "when we'd ride this thing, I'd always end up in the middle— partly because I was small, you know, but also because it meant I'd get like, super squished between the two of them. It was nice."

Barry can definitely feel Victor staring at him now, but he's not ever taking that one back. Being squished by someone you trust and love is one of the best feelings in the universe and he will stand by that assessment forever. Also, he hasn't— it's not something he's really gotten to enjoy all that much since he was a kid, either. He might miss it a little. A lot.

But it's whatever.

Victor's standing to the side of one of the cars, apparently having decided that this one is suitably sturdy or whatever, holding the swinging door open. "You get in first," he says, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "It'll be a little less tricky squeezing in for you."

Barry clears his throat and gives a brisk nod before hopping up and in, squirming a little in the seat until he can find something vaguely resembling comfort on the solid metal surface. The car shifts under Victor's weight when he gets in, the door squealing out a rusty protest as it swings shut. Victor reaches around himself for his half of the seat belt, Barry staring dumbly for a split second too long (probably?) before he remembers to follow suit.

Barry's knuckles brush against warmed metal as the belt clicks closed, and his already permanently rabbiting heart jolts behind his ribs so loudly he's pretty sure the family in the car across from theirs must have heard it. The attendant checking everyone's straps almost certainly did, and they're just too polite to say anything before moving on to the next car. 

Crap. Crap crap crap.

"You okay?" Victor asks under his breath. Barry looks up to see actual, real concern on Vic's face, which, it occurs to Barry, could be for one of several reasons.

Reason one: He thinks Barry is having some kind of panic attack for no real reason, and he's worried about Barry's mental well-being in general. Which would be sweet, if kind of not entirely correct.

Reason two: He thinks Barry is freaking out over his metal bits for one reason or another, which is so wrong for so many reasons that that can't be it, right? He's got to know that that's not it? Right?

Oh, screw it. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," Barry says. And then, in a rush before he can think twice: "It's just that I really like you and I'm kind of freaking out about it and it's really hard to play it cool because you're cool and I'm not, really, like look at this, I haven't even gone on a date since middle school back when I still thought I was straight, god, so I'm really not sure what to do here, to be completely honest—"

"Barry."

Barry shuts his mouth so fast his teeth clack together. "Mhm."

Victor's got that look on his face like he's trying really, really hard not to laugh, and for way too many milliseconds Barry's stomach feels like it's dropping out until Vic talks again. "Are you saying this is a date?"

Fuuuuck. Barry swallows and tries to figure out how to use normal human people words. It's way harder than it has any right to be. "I mean. It could be?" he hazards. "If you want to— if that sounds like it'd be good, for you. Because it sounds great to me, personally, but if that's not your style then I totally understand?" (Breathing is overrated, he's decided.)

But then Victor's expression warms, and Barry maybe kind of melts a little at how his human eye crinkles. Vic opens his mouth to say something and whatever it is gets cut off by the low groan and rumble of the Scrambler starting up. He manages a quick, apologetic grimace before the ride actually starts up in earnest, at which point Barry has other things to think about, such as the fact that he maybe didn't think the whole "get onto the Scrambler with a big guy made almost entirely of metal" thing through and he is probably going to bruise later but it'll be worth it. Every single loop of the ride squishes Barry tighter between Victor's shoulder and the inside of the car, until he's certain that by the time it stops he'll just be a two-dimensional being imperceptible to the naked eye. 

Except he can't, because he just heard Victor laughing— really laughing like he hasn't heard in so long, and there's no way he's willing to miss that for the world. Barry swears he can physically feel his heart swelling at the sound and it just might be the best thing ever. 

"Okay," Victor manages, still laughing, "I'll give you this one. This is pretty fun."

Hell yeah. No matter what else happens today, those four words mean it will be one hundred percent a success. Barry sticks his arms dramatically up in the air, which just serves to make Victor laugh even more. 

"Dunno if you'd get as much out of it," Barry says, "but, just saying, I'm super okay with going again so I can squish you too."

Victor snorts. "You've got all the squishing power of a newborn puppy," he points out, "but I'll keep that really subtle hint in mind, thanks."

The ride whirs as it slows, letting Victor shift back closer to the middle of the car so Barry can fit air in his lungs again. Once it stops, Victor unbuckles them both, apparently sensing somehow that Barry is going to be too dizzy to do much for the next couple seconds. He even goes so far as to hold out a hand to help Barry out of the car, holding onto him until he stops being so wobbly. (Which, unfortunately, is probably going to be never, because something about Victor makes Barry wobbly deep in his soul. But he can still appreciate the sentiment.)

They don't talk again for a little bit, until they've wormed their way out of the bulk of the crowd. When Victor speaks, Barry nearly jumps out of his skin.

"You know, if you want this to be a date, you could've told me a little further in advance than..." Victor pauses, biting back a grin. "Two and a half hours in. Might've gotten more dressed up."

Okay, okay, that's not a no. It's a sass, but it's not a no. "But you're cool with it being a date?" Barry says, hopeful. "I mean, if you don't want it to be, that's totally fine, I'm having a great time either way and I hope you are too, but—"

Victor holds up a hand before deciding to just press a finger to Barry's lips to shush him. Barry obediently goes quiet with a small  _meep_. "Barry," he says, his tone equal parts exasperated and affectionate. "Yes, I am 'cool' with making this a date. You...  _dork._ "

Barry might be literally vibrating with delight right now, but that's okay because it should be pretty much imperceptible to the naked eye except if your eyes happen to be in any way superhuman, and  _that's_ okay because he  _wants_ Victor to see how excited he is right now. Vic spends so much time away from people, surely he needs to know that there are people who really, really want to be around him, right? If Barry has to take it upon himself to be that guy, then so friggin' be it; he'll be excited enough for a dozen other people if he has to be.

"Okay," Barry says. "Okay. Cool. Great! Great, um, so now that this is officially a date—" holy shit holy shit— "what do you wanna do? I, uh, I didn't think I'd get this far."

Oh god there's the dimple again, and Barry is so weak. "Don't see any reason we shouldn't just keep doing what we've been doing," Victor says, shrugging. "We're both already having fun, right?"

"I can do that," Barry agrees, relieved. "No big, grand romantic gestures necessary?"

" _Please_  don't," Victor laughs. "I'll get Bruce to pay you to do the opposite of that, thanks."

While Barry's pretty sure he doesn't know what that even means, he's also sure that he doesn't care. And, hey, no grand romantic gestures is a lot cheaper and easier than yes, grand romantic gestures, so he can definitely live with that. Even though he does want to do  _something_ now, he's more than okay with making it something small and manageable. 

"I'll try and keep it under control," he promises, solemnity somewhat ruined by the fact that he can't stop smiling. "Where do you wanna go next?"

Victor holds up his hands and shakes his head. "You're the expert here," he points out. "Lead the way."

Barry puts on his best serious thinking face for all of five seconds before the grin overcomes him again. "Okay," he says. "Okay. Um...." Obviously he needs to take this decision as seriously as possible, so he promptly closes his eyes and spins around a few times. Once he feels himself start to get kind of dizzy again, Barry sticks out a hand to point in a random direction, only opening his eyes again once he wobbles to a stop. "That way," he declares. 

Over the trees, he can see top of the Skyliner, which is... maybe not the most exciting thing ever, but now that this is most definitely a date, it's— Ferris wheels are romantic, right? So that's good. Either way, when he starts walking towards the shape of the wheel, Victor follows him, and with the new context of a real, honest-to-god  _date_ , it sends a thrill through Barry that he might eventually be able to put into actual words.

The crowd thickens here, getting a little more tricky to navigate. Barry sidles through the throng, grabbing for Victor's hand to make sure they don't get split up. Victor's grip is solid, firm, and the fact that he doesn't let go even after they slot into line takes a few seconds to really click in Barry's head. He feels his face heat up, but he won't let go either.

"If I'm gonna be totally honest," Victor says, voice low enough that it's be hard to catch over the park clamor, "I'm a little surprised this took so long. All things considered."

Barry swallows. "...huh?"

"This. Us. Having a date," Victor clarifies, a smile in his voice. 

"Oh," Barry says, a little weakly. "I, uh, wasn't sure if it was— too much, you know? Or too fast, that's a big problem, too much too fast and  _wow_  that came out wrong. I just didn't know if you would want to, is what I'm trying to say?" he says. "So I thought it'd probably be better to hold off, until—  _unless_  you decided to... you know. So much for that, huh?" He gives a nervous laugh, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"So much for that," Victor says with a snicker, and he— he squeezes Barry's hand, just a little, which has no right to make Barry's heart do that fluttery thing all over again but that's what's happening anyway. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah? I mean— probably? What is it? What kind of favor?"

"Next time—" oh my god oh my god— "warn me just a  _couple_ hours in advance that we're going on a date, okay? I usually try to dress a little better than this." 

"Next time," Barry says, a little breathless. "Yeah, yeah. I can do that."

Victor's smile could probably melt ice, but there's no ice around so it melts Barry's heart a little instead. "Thanks."

Barry opens his mouth to reply, but the people behind them are starting to push a little, so what comes out is just a quiet " _ope_ " as he goes through the turnstile. The attendant ushers the two of them into a car, locking the door behind Victor and somewhat tiredly wishing them a good time.

"So," Barry says, as the Ferris wheel starts to creak to life, "next time. What do you wanna do next time?"

Victor chuckles, shaking his head. "Dunno," he says. He watches Barry with barely disguised amusement. "Right now, I want to focus on enjoying  _this_  time." 

Okay, that's fair. "Right," Barry says with an awkward little cough. He tugs at the hem of his shirt, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger. Which— he needs to be careful about that, because he's ruined a  _lot_  of good shirts doing that too fast. "So, um..." he says, with nothing to follow it up with. 

The wheel continues to ascend, and Victor continues to stare, and Barry continues to fidget. 

"Penny for your thoughts?" asks Victor, as the wheel crests the trees.

The wheel stops. Barry sucks in a breath. "I want to enjoy this one too and I think right now what that means is I really want to kiss you?" he says.

There's a pause that only lasts half a second but feels like half a year; Victor blinks, once, smiles a little, and then reaches out a hand, metal smooth and cool on Barry's cheek. Barry's heartbeat kicks up a few thousand more notches. "I think I'm okay with that," Victor says.

Barry sighs as their lips brush, and he's pretty sure he can die happy now. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you SO much, recip, for prompting this, because I've actually been wanting to write Vic/Barry for a while, and I've wanted to write an amusement park date in general for a while, so this was just all around great for me. I hope you had as good of a time reading as I did putting it all together. <3


End file.
